What is the warmest lake in the Great Lakes?

Lake Erie is the shallowest, warmest, and most productive of the Great Lakes. Three distinct basins provide a variety of offshore habitats. The Detroit River, Maumee River, and smaller tributaries drain into the western basin, which averages 24 feet deep and contains extremely nutrient-rich water.



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Lake Superior is the largest, coldest, and deepest (the average depth is 482 feet) of the five Great Lakes. Lake Erie is the warmest and shallowest of the five Great Lakes. Lake Ontario is the smallest of the five Great Lakes. Lake Huron has the longest shoreline of the five Great Lakes.

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By August and September, average temperatures for Lake Michigan and Huron will be in the upper 60s to low 70s. Lake Erie and Ontario average the mid to upper 70s by late summer, because of their shallowness.

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Lake Michigan, Huron and Erie have similar temperatures ranging from the upper 60s to lower 70s at their peak. Lake Erie usually warms the fastest.

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Our Daily Dips in August at Agawa Bay are by far the warmest and most comfortable since the surface water maxes out at about 20°C (68°F). Floating at the surface, you could almost pretend you're in the Bahamas… … until you accidentally dip your toes a little too deep and get the cold shock of a lifetime!

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The clean, clear waters of Lake Superior are beautiful and inviting, though the water is typically cold even for the hardiest swimmers. Shoreline water temperatures in summer usually range from the upper 50s to the upper 60s. Some years it can reach 70 degrees by mid-August in Munising Bay.

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Currents in Lake Erie can be dangerous! Any current flowing faster than 2 mph is considered dangerous. Dangerous currents can exceed 5 mph — faster than an Olympic swimmer can swim.

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Lake Michigan in particular is the roughest of the Great Lakes, and poses a major risk to those thinking of taking a dip.

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All the time when I'm there. In the summer water temperatures at the lake are in the upper 60s. Right now its 68 which is pretty amazing for late September! It usually maxes out around 70 degrees in August and its absolutely wonderful for swimming.

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Watershed's surface: 209,000 square kms. Lake Superior is the largest, cleanest, and wildest of all the Great Lakes.

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Lake Superior is the Cleanest and Clearest Great Lake Because of its somewhat isolated location and long cold winters, not much farming is done along Superior's shores. This means lower amounts of nutrients, sediments, and organic material are floating around the lake.

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Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake by area (31,700 mi2 /82,100 km2). It is also the coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes, with a maximum depth of 406 meters (1,332 feet).

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The reason Lake Ontario stays cold is because it's so deep. The temperature of the lake changes at different depths, which is due to changes in the density of the water. This is called thermal stratification.

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Lake Michigan's riptide and longshore tides are unparalleled when it comes to danger among all the Great Lakes. In fact, due to its unnaturally strong winds, it's not unusual for this lake to have strong rip currents that can be dangerous for swimmers.

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Lake Erie is the fourth-largest lake in North America (by surface area) and the eleventh-largest worldwide. It is the Great Lakes' southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume. By the 1960s, Lake Erie had become the most polluted of the Great Lakes, owing to the substantial industrial presence along its coasts.

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Lake Michigan is considered the lake that holds the most deaths among the five Great Lakes in North America. Despite its reputation for powerful undercurrents claiming a minimum of a few lives each year, the warm, welcoming water is a favorite swimming spot for locals and visitors.

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The first recorded swimmer to cross Lake Erie was Pennsylvania teenager Pat Budney in 1975. He swam from Long Point to Presque Isle in Pennsylvania, a distance of 26 miles that took him 26 ½ hours. The state park beach where he finished now bears his name.

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Lake Erie has an astonishing 2,000-plus shipwrecks which is among the highest concentration of shipwrecks in the world. Only about 400 of Lake Erie's wrecks have ever been found. There are schooners, freighters, steamships, tugs and fishing boats among them.

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Lake Erie is the second smallest Great Lake by surface area, and the smallest by volume. Because of this, the water of Lake Erie also has the shortest residence time. Water in this lake replaces itself every 2.6 years, as opposed to Lake Superior, which takes two centuries.

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The Superior Suit is ideal for water that is between 50F - 68F degrees with the intention of extending the paddle season into spring and fall. If you plan to paddle in water that is colder, such as Lake Superior in January, you should consider a thicker wetsuit or drysuit.

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Located in Russia in the southern region of Siberia, Lake Baikal is the world's largest freshwater lake by both volume (22995 km3) and depth (1741m). Lake Baikal contains 20% of the world's fresh surface water. Lake Baikal hides its vast waters under a relatively small surface area (31500 km2).

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